Masked and Unmasked
by CosmoFan47
Summary: After the events of "Volpina" Marinette is given some wise advice by the Great Guardian. But it may not matter when Ladybug and Cat Noir fall into Hawk Moth's clutches- and when all secrets will be revealed.
1. Prologue: Some Words of Advice

Welcome, , to my Miraculous Ladybug FanFic. I will be taking my sources mainly from the French dub, NOT the Nickelodeon English dub (I couldn't stand the phrase "Time to de-evilize!"). The only thing I am altering from the French dub is the main villain's name. I will be calling him Hawk Moth like in the English- and the Korean- dubs, instead of his French name Le Papillion. Author's Note: the cover for this FanFic is "In Yan" by loveHinaSasu on DeviantArt. Go check it out! And without further ado…

Prologue: Some Words of Advice

"Er, uh, um… here's your book back, Great Guardian," Marinette held out the Miraculous book to the elderly man sitting across from here.

It was the same man who had healed Tikki when she caught that cold. How did I not see this coming? Marinette thought as the Great Guardian took the book. He obviously knew about Miraculous', and Tikki. How else could he have healed her!

"Please, I'd rather you didn't refer to me as Great Guardian," the elderly man smiled. "Call me Master Fu."

"Um, ok… Master Fu," Marinette stuttered.

Master Fu looked slowly through the Miraculous book. Marinette waited as patiently as she could.

A half hour passed before Master Fu looked up again. "You have done me a great service, Ladybug. Thank you."

"You're… you're welcome."

"Master Fu, don't you have any advice for Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"Advice?" Marinette squeaked.

"You, a Miraculous Holder, did a service for the Great Guardian. It is customary that he now presents three pearls of wisdom that will help you on your quest," Tikki explained.

"Quite right," Master Fu nodded. He closed his eyes. "Trust the one you love, even when he seems false. When the time is right, you will know what to do with the remaining three. And look before you leap."

"What does that mean?" Marinette asked. "Or are you not allowed to tell me?" she pouted.

Master Fu opened his eyes. "Normally I cannot elaborate, but in this case I can tell you a little about the second pearl of wisdom." He rose and walked to a dresser with a phonograph. Master Fu rumbled around, his frame covering whatever he was doing. When he turned around, he was holding a small plastic bag.

"In this bag are two of the "remaining three" I mentioned. The last one is currently missing," Master Fu explained. He pressed the bag into Marinette's hand. "But I'm sure you'll come across it when the time comes."

Marinette placed the bag in her backpack. "Thank you, Master Fu."

"No, thank you." Master Fu said, before turning around. Marinette took that as a cue to leave, and walked out. Tikki waved before following.

"Yes, thank you Ladybug," Master Fu whispered as Wayzz flew out of his hiding spot in the phonograph. "I just hope my assistant returns in time for me to thank her too."


	2. Chapter 1: The False Fox Returns

I wonder what Master Fu's advice meant? Oh well. We'll have to wait and see- there's another akumatized villain on the loose!

Chapter 1: The False Fox Returns

Hawk Moth was in a particularly bad mood.

"I must have Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous'!" he bellowed. "I need that power to obtain my greatest wish."

"But do you really think that world domination is going to take you there?" asked Nooroo. "You don't really want the world, what you want is…"

"I know what I want!" Hawk Moth roared. "And the absolute power will allow me to get it."

Nooroo trembled. He hated this part.

"Nooroo! Transform me!" Hawk Moth cried. As the power of the Moth Miraculous joined with its kwami, Hawk Moth felt a smirk grow on his face. Despite the setbacks, he knew that his goal would become a reality. He had known this since the day he had found the brooch.

Power flowed through Hawk Moth's body. He could feel negativity coming from all directions. If only he could akumatize everyone in Paris. Soon, Hawk Moth told himself. Soon he would have the power to akumatize not just Paris, but the whole world! In the meantime, Hawk Moth would have to settle for the Parisian who was feeling the most negative.

Hawk Moth closed his eyes and cleared his mind. In his mind's eye, he saw Lila Rossi, the girl he had akumatized just hours ago.

...

Lila sat on her bed, looking at pictures of Adrien that she had taped to her wall.

"Who does Ladybug think she is?" Lila snarled. She stood up and walked to a particularly large poster of Adrien's face. "And. Why. Does. She. Keep. Me. And. Adrien. APART!" Lila pounded her fist into the wall with each word, yelling at the top of her lungs when she reached the end of her sentence.

Collapsing onto the floor, Lila sobbed as she clutched in her hand the necklace she had made to impress Adrien.

...

The window into Hawk Moth's lair opened. "A girl who just wants everyone to like her. A noble thought indeed. But what would be better than everyone liking her? Why, everyone fearing her, of course."

Letting a butterfly rest on his hand, Hawk Moth covered it gently with his other hand and transferred power into it.

"Fly away, my little akuma," Hawk Moth let the butterfly loose. "And darken her heart."

The akuma flew out of the center of the window and into the streets of Paris.

...

Adrien had given up the search for his father's book, at least for now. He had homework to do, and Adrien wanted to do a stellar job.

Seeing as that this was his first year not being homeschooled, Adrien usually had trouble starting his homework. Not to mention that his afterschool activities, photo shoots, and fighting crime as Cat Noir took up a lot of time.

Adrien had just opened his history textbook when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Turning his head toward the window, he spotted a butterfly flutter past his window- a black butterfly.

"I guess history will have to wait," Adrien announced. "After all, history has been around for centuries. What's a few more hours?"

"Oh, bad joke," moaned Plagg, who was sitting on Adrien's couch, surrounded by seven empty Camembert boxes. "Bad history joke."

Adrien ignored his kwami. "Plagg! Transform me!"

...

"I wonder what Master Fu's advice meant?" Marinette asked Tikki as they headed back to the bakery.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough," Tikki smiled up from her hiding spot in Marinette's purse.

Marinette held up the plastic bag she was given by the Great Guardian. "Maybe I should look inside, to give me a better idea as to what will happen…"

"No!" Tikki cried. "Trust me, Marinette. When the time comes to open the bag, you'll know what to do with what's inside."

Marinette was about to ask how she would know when to open the bag when she spotted Cat Noir. He was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, his gazed fixed on something small.

Marinette followed Cat Noir's gaze. He was following a little black butterfly. Normally she would laugh at the cat-themed superhero acting like the actual animal. But Marinette recognized the butterfly as one of Hawk Moth's akumas.

Darting into a nearby alley, Marinette looked at Tikki. "Cat Noir must be trying to stop the akuma before it reaches it's target."

"Or maybe he's following it so that he can assess the situation before contacting Ladybug," Tikki suggested. "After all, he knows that only Ladybug can capture the akuma."

"Cat Noir doesn't think like that," Marinette argued.

Tikki just looked at her.

"He doesn't," Marinette insisted. Or does he? she thought. I don't know anything about the man behind the mask…

Marinette shook her head. Why am I thinking about this? Of course Cat Noir doesn't think like that- he's the impulsive one, always ready to crack joke or pun. He needs me to keep him on track!

"Tikki! Transform me!"

...

Lila was still on the floor when the akuma flew into her necklace. She immediately sat up, her face contorted with anger.

"Volpina," said Hawk Moth. "I shall give you another chance to enact your revenge on Ladybug. But Ladybug and Cat Noir now know your power is illusions. So in return for this power, I will not ask you to bring me Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous'.

"Instead, I need you to bring Ladybug and Cat Noir to me personally."


	3. Chapter 2: The Challenge

Hawk Moth wants to meet Ladybug and Cat Noir… IN PERSON? Uh-oh! Author's Note: I've changed the title of this story from "And All is Revealed" to "Masked and Unmasked." The old title just didn't sound right to me.

Chapter 2: The Challenge

Cat Noir was crouched upon a rooftop, using his staff to look inside Lila's bedroom.

"Find anything?" a voice said.

Cat Noir looked up to see Ladybug standing next to him. "My lady," he arose, grabbing Ladybug's hand for a kiss.

Ladybug pulled away just as Cat Noir's lips made contact. "Where's the akuma?"

"It flew into Lila Rosa's bedroom," Cat Noir frowned. "I saw it go in through the window, but by the time I found a good spying spot, Lila had vanished."

"Did she turn into Volpina again?" Ladybug asked, alarmed.

"Don't know," Cat Noir shrugged.

Ladybug's eyes narrowed. "Then why were you looking through her window?" she asked.

"I can't just barge in to look for clues, not without permission!"

Ladybug sighed. She was just about to suggest looking for Lila's parents- maybe they could get them in- when a tremendous boom shook the rooftops.

Ladybug scanned the area. But other than the sound, nothing seemed out of place. None of the buildings were shaking. There was no dust or debris to indicate an explosion. Ladybug whirled toward Cat Noir, only to see him come to the exact came conclusion.

"Volpina," they said.

"Somebody call me?"

The two heroes turned to find Volpina standing in behind them.

"What do you want?" Ladybug snapped. Cat Noir tightened his grip on his staff.

"It's not what I want," Volpina smirked. "It's what Hawk Moth wants."

"Stop your lies!" Cat Noir cried, swinging his staff at the akumatized villain. The staff swung uselessly in the air, causing the Volpina illusion to vanish.

"I have a proposal for you two, courtesy of Hawk Moth," Volpina reappeared on the roof of her building. Volpina coughed, and a single akuma flew out of her mouth. It landed on Ladybug's hand just as Volpina collapsed onto the rooftop.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir," Hawk Moth's voice amplified from the akuma. "I have a proposition for you."

"Nice try," Ladybug told the akuma. "But you're just another illusion. Right, Cat Noir?"

"Um, I don't think this is an illusion, my lady," Cat Noir called. He had leaped to Lila's rooftop, and was patting her arm. Unlike the previous Volpina, this one didn't disappear.

Ladybug swallowed. Looking down at the akuma on her hand, she asked "How do you know I won't capture this akuma before you can tell us about your proposal?"

"I'm sure you would refrain from capturing this akuma… if you knew this proposal may give you the chance to defeat me, once and for all?"

Ladybug looked at Cat Noir, then back at the akuma. "What are you proposing?" Ladybug sighed.

"A simple game of Hide and Seek," Hawk Moth's voice announced. "You must find my lair here in Paris within the hour. I will be there, awaiting you. If you find me within the hour, I will surrender my Miraculous to you. However, if you do not find me in the allotted amount of time, I will take Miraculous of the first one to enter my lair. If you cheat in any form, I will take both your Miraculous'. Do we have a deal?"

Ladybug didn't know what to do. This may be the only way to stop Hawk Moth once and for all. But risk the Miraculous'?

"We agree," Ladybug heard herself say. "Cat Noir and I will play your little game." Cat Noir looked up, alarm showing on his face.

"Excellent," Hawk Moth announced. "The game shall begin the moment Volpina revives." With that said, the akuma flew from Ladybug's hand and back down Volpina's throat.

"Ladybug, I love you, but are you insane?" Cat Noir cried as he leaped back onto the other rooftop. "We can't risk our Miraculous' for Hawk Moth's!"

Silence rose between the two heroes.

"I don't know why I agreed to his demands," Ladybug finally said. "I just felt that it was the only way to rid ourselves of Hawk Moth, once and for all."

"But what if…" Cat Noir began. He gulped. "What if we lose?"

"Then he gets only one Miraculous, not both," Ladybug reminded Cat Noir. "The only way Hawk Moth can get both is if one of us cheats, and that's highly unlikely."

"Good point, my lady," Cat Noir murmured.

Ladybug stared at Cat Noir for a moment. She had a feeling that Cat Noir wasn't really worried about losing. Could it be that he didn't want to win?

Could Cat Noir actually want to continue to fight Hawk Moth?

"Being Cat Noir really matters to you, doesn't it?" asked Ladybug.

"What do you mean?" Cat Noir replied.

"You don't want the battles to end, because being Cat Noir is important to you," Ladybug guessed.

Cat Noir hesitated then nodded. "Being Cat Noir has been the greatest adventure of my life," he admitted.

Ladybug took Cat Noir's hand. "Tell you what. If the impossible happens, and we lose… I'll be the one to give up my Miraculous."

Cat Noir looked at Ladybug fiercely. "I can't let you do that. We may never see each other again if you do!"

"We will!" Ladybug exclaimed. "Because if I have to give up my Miraculous, I will reveal to you my true identity."

Cat Noir was quiet for a moment. "You would do that, for me?"

Ladybug shrugs. "Sometimes I doubt my ability to be a hero. But you never do. And if that happens, I'll find a way to continue helping you."

Cat Noir grinned. "Thank you, my lady."

"How sweet," a voice deadpanned. Ladybug and Cat Noir turned to see that Volpina had regained consciousness. "But you cannot win. All you know is that Hawk Moth's lair is in Paris. You cannot search all of Paris within the hour!" Laughing, Volpina began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, leaving Ladybug and Cat Noir behind.

Ladybug's heart sank. Volpina was right. It was impossible.

"I wonder where Volpina is going?" Cat Noir chattered. "It's not like she has a reason to leave. She was here just to give us Hawk Moth's message."

Ladybug gasped. "That's it!" she cried.

"What's it, my lady?"

"We don't have to search all of Paris! Volpina will lead us right to the villain's lair."


	4. Chapter 3: Behind the Mask

Looks like Ladybug found a loophole in Hawk Moth's game!

Chapter 3: Behind the Mask

"How do you know Volpina is going to Hawk Moth's lair?" Cat Noir asked Ladybug as they followed the akumatized villain from a safe distance.

"Think about it," Ladybug replied. "Hawk Moth gave us a similar message at the Eiffel Tower when Stoneheart captured Mylène. But the purpose of that message was to intimidate us. This time, Hawk Moth's message implies that he wants us to find him. Even if we win his little Hide and Seek challenge, he will still get what he wants- to meet us in person."

"But why does he want to meet us in person?" Cat Noir asked.

"I don't know," Ladybug admitted. "But whatever the reason, this may be our toughest battle yet."

Cat Noir chuckled. "Well, we won't go out without a fight," he swung his staff around as he leaped from one rooftop to another.

Ladybug and Cat Noir followed Volpina, aware of time ticking away. Volpina didn't attack anyone, but she was taking the longest possible route to Hawk Moth's lair.

"My lady," Cat Noir eventually spoke up. "We have only five more minutes to find the lair."

Ladybug sighed. This wasn't going as planned. Maybe she was wrong about Volpina's involvement in Hawk Moth's game. She was about to admit defeat when she noticed something.

"Volpina!" Ladybug cried. "She's gone." The false fox had completely vanished.

"No she hasn't. Look!" Cat Noir pointed to a building off in the distance. Volpina could barely be seen as she stood on the top of a large building. She appeared to be playing her flute as she tried to get into a cupola at the top of the building.

"Come on!" Ladybug cried, suddenly feeling reinvigorated. Cat Noir followed her has she hurried to the building.

"I've never seen this building before," Cat Noir asked once they reached the roof.

"Volpina must be disguising the actual building with her illusions so that we can't figure out where we are," Ladybug guessed. "Listen, you can still hear her flute music."

Cat Noir listened, then nodded. Volpina's music could be heard above them. Unfortunately for two heroes, Volpina had vanished for good this time. "Two minutes, my lady."

Ladybug looked above her at the cupola. She knew that Volpina was trying to get in there when Ladybug last saw her.

Ladybug jumped up to the base of the cupola. Completely by chance, she touched a tile on the base… and it opened as a trapdoor.

"Less that a minute! What now, my lady?" Cat Noir asked frantically. Ladybug tapped his shoulder. Cat Noir turned around. "Oh…"

"Come on," Ladybug said. Using her yoyo as a grappling hook to pull herself up through the trapdoor, Ladybug soon found herself in a small, circular room. Cat Noir soon followed by extending his staff. As soon as the two landed on the solid floor, the flute music stopped and the trapdoor closed.

Ladybug looked around. There wasn't much to look at. There were dozens of dozens of butterflies fluttering around the room. In front of Ladybug and Cat Noir, was a giant window, bringing in light from the Paris day.

Standing in front of the window, haloed in the light, stood Hawk Moth. His back was to the two heroes. "Ladybug and Cat Noir," Hawk Moth spoke. "I see you have found my lair."

Ladybug noticed Volpina standing to the side, a smirk on the vixen's face.

"However," Hawk Moth turned until he was facing Ladybug and Cat Noir. Ladybug noted that Hawk Moth was holding a cane in both hands. "I also see that you have cheated in our little game. As per our agreement, I must take both your Miraculous'."

"What are you talking about?" Ladybug asked furiously.

"You found my lair by following Volpina, did you not?" Neither hero denied it. "Our agreement states that you had to seek what is hidden. You were not supposed follow someone to what is hidden. Therefore, you have cheated."

"You're the one who cheated!" Cat Noir cried suddenly. He ran at Hawk Moth, swinging his staff furiously.

Smirking, Hawk Moth placed one hand behind his back. With his cane in the other hand, Hawk Moth began to sword fight with Cat Noir. Cat Noir fought furiously, fueled by anger. Hawk Moth fought skillfully, disarming Cat Noir of his staff almost instantly.

The moment Cat Noir was rendered weaponless, half the butterflies in the room swarmed together. The swarm rammed into Cat Noir, pressing him against the back wall at an incredible speed.

"Cat Noir!" Ladybug cried. Just then, the rest of the butterflies forced Ladybug to the wall, holding her next to Cat Noir.

As Ladybug and Cat Noir struggled, Hawk Moth walked confidently toward the captive heroes.

"At last," Hawk Moth breathed. He leaned towards Ladybug and removed her earrings. "The power of creation…"

With her Miraculous removed, Ladybug reverted back to Marinette. At that moment, Marinette noticed Cat Noir smiling excitedly at her. He probably remembers me from that time with the Eviillustrator, Marinette thought.

Tikki suddenly appeared next to Hawk Moth. "Remember, Marinette, I believe in you!"

Hawk Moth then leaned in to take off Cat Noir's ring. "…And the power of destruction." As Marinette watched, Cat Noir's costume melted away… revealing Cat Noir to be Adrien Agreste.

Adrien turned his head toward Marinette. "Hello, my lady."

Marinette couldn't speak. A thousand thoughts fought in Marinette's head. This wasn't right. This was wrong. Adrien couldn't be Cat Noir! They couldn't be more different.

But one thought rose above the rest.

"Trust the one you love, even when he seems false."

Remembering Master Fu's first pearl of wisdom was the jolt that snapped Marinette back to reality. No matter how wrong the idea of Adrien as Cat Noir was, it was nothing compared to the situation at hand.

So Marinette took a deep breath and refocused her attention to Hawk Moth. She could worry about the Adrien/Cat Noir oddity later.

But Hawk Moth appeared to be just as shocked about Cat Noir's identity as Marinette was, if not more so. The villain's face was contorted with fury.

"This is unacceptable!" Hawk Moth bellowed. He pointed a finger at Adrien. "You cannot be Cat Noir!"

"Well, I am Cat Noir," Adrien smirked. "You're just going to have to get used to seeing my face without the mask."

Hawk Moth glared at Adrien. Then he did something unexpected. He placed a hand to his brooch and said "Nooroo. Release me."

Marinette and Adrien gaped at Hawk Moth as his civilian identity was revealed to them. For neither hero was prepared to meet the villain behind the mask.


	5. Chapter 4: Identity

Just who is Hawk Moth? And what will happen to our heroes now?

Chapter 4: Identity

"Father?" Adrien gasped.

Marinette stared at the man standing in front of them. Hawk Moth was Gabriel Agreste. That made even less sense than Adrien being Cat Noir!

Gabriel glared at Marinette and Adrien. Adrien's father was dressed differently than the few times Marinette had seen him. Gone was the silver vest, the cream-colored dress jacket and the red-and-white striped tie. He still wore his white dress shirt, but now Marinette could see a purple brooch pinned to the front of the shirt. Adrien's father must hide his Miraculous underneath his tie, Marinette thought.

"Yes," Gabriel said. "I'm Hawk Moth. And my son- my own son- is now my enemy." Gabriel punched the wall above Adrien's head.

"How can you be Hawk Moth?" Marinette demanded. "When Hawk Moth akumatized Simon Grimault, we protected you from Simon Says!"

"And technically, I was already your enemy as Cat Noir," Adrien quipped. He had, apparently, already recovered from his initial shock. "You just know my identity now."

How could he have calmed down enough to crack a joke? Marinette wondered. I'm still freaking out!

Gabriel glared at Marinette. "I don't need to be transformed in order to keep someone akumatized," he explained. "Why do you think Lila is still Volpina?"

Marinette turned her head the farthest she could while held back by butterflies. Indeed, she could just make out Lila standing off to the side, still akumatized.

"And you! You would have had everything if you weren't my enemy," Gabriel growled at Adrien. "Once the entire world is akumatized, you would have been a prince! And you're throwing it all away by being Cat Noir. You're throwing it all away for Marinette. For… for a bug!"

"Marinette is not a bug!" Adrien exclaimed. "Marinette is my lady. You're the bug!"

Gabriel scowled. Then he smirked, chuckling softly.

"You're acting like you still have a fighting chance," Gabriel scoffed. Unclasping the Moth Miraculous with one hand, Gabriel then opened the Miraculous with the same hand.

"I didn't know that Miraculous' can open up," said Adrien.

"Yours cannot," Gabriel announced. "The Ladybug and Cat Noir Miraculous' are… special. But all other known Miraculous', including the Moth brooch, can open up."

Gabriel held up the earrings and ring he stole from Marinette and Adrien in the other hand. "Now, it's time for me to receive absolute power." Gabriel carefully placed the Ladybug earrings into the open brooch. The moment the earrings settled inside the brooch, the Ladybug Miraculous dissolved.

Tikki, who had been floating quietly beside Nooroo, let out a small gasp. She then dissolved into a red vapor. The smoke then flew into Nooroo's mouth.

Gabriel then placed Adrien's Cat Noir ring into the brooch. The ring dissolved.

A loud snore could be heard next to Nooroo. It was dark in the room, but Marinette could now just make out a cat-like kwami, laying down in midair.

The kwami opened its green eyes. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

"Plagg! You were asleep the whole time?" Adrien cried in disbelief.

"Ate too much Camembert," Plagg shrugged just as he turned to a black vapor and flew into Nooroo's mouth. Gabriel quickly snapped his brooch shut and pinned it back onto his shirt.

"Nooroo! Transform me!" cried Gabriel. Marinette gulped as Adrien's father turned into the big baddie Ladybug and Cat Noir had been fighting for so long, despite only meeting him today.

Hawk Moth laughed. It started off as a soft chuckle, only for his laughter to become louder and more sinister.

"This power!" he cried. "I can sense negative emotions from all corners of the globe. And they're all within my grasp, all at once! It's… miraculous!"

For a minute, it looked as if Hawk Moth had forgotten about Marinette and Adrien, still bound to the wall by butterflies.

It looked like Hawk Moth had also forgotten Volpina, standing attentively by his side.

And it looked like Hawk Moth had forgotten that people make up the world, not just their emotions.

Then Hawk Moth's laughter slowly died. "Volpina, go and bring me Nathalie and Mr. Singe," the villain ordered. "Tell them that their rewards for sticking by this family will finally be given."

"Yes, Hawk Moth," Volpina bowed before heading out the trapdoor.

For a minute, there was an awkward silence. What does a superhero do when there's a lull during the villain's evil plan?

Marinette decided to fill the time with a couple of questions. "How did you get the Moth Miraculous?" she asked.

Hawk Moth glared at Marinette. "I believe that you're in no position to ask about my origin story."

Marinette didn't press it. "Who is Mr. Singe?" she asked instead. "I've met Nathalie, but never anyone named Singe."

Hawk Moth smiled cryptically. "Oh, you've met him."

More silence. Then…

"Did Mother know? Adrien whispered.

"What?" Hawk Moth snapped. "Speak up. I didn't raise you to mumble!"

"Did Mother know that you're Hawk Moth?" Adrien asked.

Hawk Moth didn't answer. Marinette could swear that Adrien's father was suddenly on the verge of tears.

"I bet she did," Adrien continued. "No wonder she disappeared. Who could ever love a supervillain?"

Before Hawk Moth could answer, the trapdoor opened again. Nathalie climbed up first. Following was Adrien's silent bodyguard, the one everyone called the Gorilla. Volpina brought up the rear.

Nathalie bowed to Hawk Moth. "Hello, sir." Her eyes flickered momentarily toward Adrien and her eyebrows went up slightly before turning back.

The Gorilla (who Marinette guessed was named Mr. Singe) bowed as well, although he didn't say a word.

Volpina bowed last. "I've brought your employees, Hawk Moth. As you ordered."

Hawk Moth nodded. "Now that I possess the Ladybug and Cat Noir Miraculous', the entire world can be akumatized. And I'm starting with the two of you." He raised his cane toward Nathalie and Mr. Singe.

"Power Move!" bellowed Hawk Moth. All the butterflies in the lair flew around him, turning into a vortex of akumas.

These included the butterflies that had been holding down Marinette and Adrien. But before the two could make a break for it, Mr. Singe suddenly scooped them up onto his back with one arm.

Holding the two former superheroes like sacks of flour, he leaped down the trapdoor. Sliding down the roof's shingles, Mr. Singe grabbed the railing just above the third story.

It was at that moment that Marinette recognized the building. It was the Agreste mansion! She felt sick. How could the villain have been so close, so long, without her realizing?

Mr. Singe started swinging his body to an open window on the third story just as a roar could be heard from the secret lair. A swarm of akumas flew out of the lair and down toward the third story where Marinette, Adrien, and Mr. Singe hung.

The akumas were heading straight for Marinette and Adrien. They wouldn't be able to get inside in time. Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the moment she would be akumatized.


	6. Chapter 5: Ally Akumatized

Major uh-oh! What will happen to Marinette and Adrien? Author's Note: I looked it up online, and I'm not sure it is correct, but singe might mean ape in French. So the Gorilla's name is supposed to be Mr. Ape.

Chapter 5: Ally Akumatized

A minute passed. Marinette could feel herself still being carried by Mr. Singe. Other than that, she still felt like herself.

Is this what akumatized villain felt like? Marinette wondered. Do they still feel like themselves?

But Marinette wasn't feeling any negative emotions. And she certainly didn't feel evil. Slowly Marinette opened her eyes.

Although the three of them were being followed by a swarm of akumas, none of them could touch her or Adrien. It was like there was some kind of invisible force field surrounding them.

And Mr. Singe appeared to be using them as human shields, preventing himself from becoming akumatized.

Mr. Singe had long since cleared the window and was inside the Agreste mansion. He continued to carry Marinette and Adrien down the stairs until they arrived at the first floor.

Running into a room, Mr. Singe finally set Marinette and Adrien down. Locking the door, the gorilla-like man hurried over to a giant portrait of Adrien's mother.

"This is my father's study," said Adrien.

"Yes," a soft voice said. It came from Mr. Singe, who was removing the portrait, revealing a safe. Marinette walked over to him, with Adrien close behind.

"How do we know we can trust you, Mr. Singe?" Adrien crossed his arms.

Mr. Singe typed a code into the safe: 37-21-20. "Nathalie has always been loyal to Gabriel, but I was Tara's bodyguard before I was Adrien's."

"Who is Tara?" Marinette asked.

Adrien looked at the floor. "My mother," he whispered. Looking back up, he added, "That combination is my mother's birthday, backwards. February 12th, 1973."

"Indeed," Mr. Singe opened the safe. "And you can trust me for another reason. I'm about to give you something that will allow you to have an enormous advantage over Hawk Moth. It's… where is it?" Mr. Singe rummaged through a collection of objects in the safe. "Where is that book?"

Adrien gulped. "It wouldn't happen to be a book about the Miraculous', would it? Because my kwami opened that safe, and I took the book. But then I lost it."

"And then my kwami took it," Marinette blurted before Mr. Singe could respond. "I gave it to someone Tikki introduced me to- a Master Fu."

Mr. Singe raised his eyebrows. "You met with the Great Guardian? That is quite the honor." He leaned forward. "Did Fu give you any words of advice?"

"He gave me what he called "pearls of wisdom." Three, in fact," said Marinette. "One of them already came true." Marinette was about to continue when she spotted something in the safe. "What it that?"

Adrien smiled. "That's my mother's peacock barrette. She wore it everywhere. Why?"

Marinette gulped. "That's a Miraculous, isn't it?"

Mr. Singe stared at her. "How did you know?"

"Master Fu's second pearl of wisdom. "When the time is right, you will know what to do with the remaining three." And then he apparently gave me two of the three." Marinette met Adrien's eyes. "I haven't looked yet, but the remaining three must be Miraculous'! We probably have more allies among us!"

Mr. Singe stared at Marinette, his mouth agape. "Brilliant, Ladybug!" He handed her the Peacock Miraculous. "Take this. If I know Fu, and I do by reputation, he'll have given you an empty box for this Miraculous along with the other two." Placing his hands on Marinette's shoulders, he gave her a little shake. "You have to find the other two Miraculous holders, and fast!"

"How do we do that?" asked Adrien.

A thump was heard at the door. Someone was trying to get inside.

Mr. Singe looked at Marinette and Adrien urgently. "The rightful owners of these Miraculous' will be immune to the akumas for the next 24 hours, even if they've been akumatized in the past. Get them to transform, and they will permanently stay immune, like you two."

Another thump. This time whatever was ramming the door made a dent.

"How will we know which one to give them?" Marinette demanded.

"You can open the boxes to see which Miraculous is which. And you will know who gets which one when the time is right, Ladybug," Mr. Singe said encouragingly.

Marinette winced as the door was smashed open by a swarm of akumas. Nathalie stepped through, fully akumatized and smirking.

"You're coming with us!" Adrien grabbed Mr. Singe's hand. "We can protect you!"

Mr. Singe shook his hand loose. "Go," he whispered, slipping something to Adrien.

"No one leaves," cried Nathalie. "You are not scheduled to exit the premises!"

"Come on!" Marinette grabbed Adrien's hand. At any other time, she would have felt like she was in heaven by holding his hand. Now, Marinette just pulled Adrien through the swarm of akumas and out the door.

"This is not on the schedule!" Nathalie howled. "I am the Assistant! You will adhere to the schedule."

"Great, she's a lackey even as a supervillain," Adrien muttered.

"Almost out!" Marinette reached for the front door.

A hulking man dressed in gray army fatigues fell from the top of one of the staircases. As he landed in front of them, Marinette saw that he was an akumatized Mr. Singe.

"No one can sneak past Guerrilla Warfare!" he bellowed, pressing a button on a remote in his hand. The mansion's security system activated, locking the three inside.

Adrien pulled something out of his jacket. "Unless Guerrilla Warfare already gave us a way out," he taunted, waving an identical remote.

Guerrilla Warfare howled and swiped for Adrien's remote. Ducking, Adrien slid his remote underneath the villain's legs. Marinette, who had managed to get behind Guerrilla Warfare during the confrontation, snatched the remote.

Now swiping at Marinette, Guerrilla Warfare ignored Adrien, who ran around the akumatized Mr. Singe. Just as Adrien reached Marinette, she disabled the security system, allowing the duo to run out the door and into the streets of Paris.


	7. Chapter 6: The Search Begins

Marinette and Adrien are free! But at what cost? What will they find on the streets of Paris? And will they find the other Miraculous holders in time? Author's Note: Fun Fact time! February 12th, 1973 is the birthday of experienced voice actor Tara Strong. Since Adrien's mother resembles Tara Strong, I'm hoping she will be voicing the missing Mrs. Agreste in the English dub.

Chapter 6: The Search Begins

Turning the security system back on from the outside, Marinette and Adrien ran away from the Agreste mansion. They could hear a banging at the mansion's front door. It sounded like a battering ram was pounding against the door.

Just as the duo opened and passed the front gate, Marinette felt the toe of her shoe catch on a cobblestone. Her arms flailing, Marinette felt her body teeter until she landed face-first on the path.

"Ow!"

Adrien stopped in his tracks at Marinette's exclamation. "Marinette!" he cried, running back toward her.

"I'm fine. I'm just more klutzy when I'm not Ladybug," Marinette sat up and brushed herself off.

Just as Adrien reached her, Marinette heard a loud bang behind her. "Adrien, duck!" she cried.

An enormous swarm of akumas bashed through the mansion door. Zooming past the still open gates, they were gone within a number of seconds.

Marinette opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Adrien crouching next to her in a kneeling position.

Standing back up in one fluid motion, Adrien held his hand out. "Want some help, Marinette?"

Marinette looked up at Adrien, the boy she loved, holding his hand for her to take.

However, Marinette could no longer see that boy. Nor did she see Cat Noir. Adrien had become someone Marinette couldn't identify.

Still, Marinette allowed Adrien to help her up, squashing down her conflicting emotions as she stood.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Marinette said, avoiding Adrien's gaze.

The duo sprinted away from the mansion.

…

Marinette and Adrien ran as fast as they could. But without their powers, their endurance just wasn't the same.

"I need to stop," Marinette gasped after about fifteen minutes.

Adrien slowed to a decent jog. "Where can we hide?"

Marinette felt a second wind come along. "How about my parents' bakery? My parents are too positive to be akumatized right away. I've never seen them argue."

Adrien paused a second, letting Marinette get ahead of him. "That's brilliant, my lady. I hadn't thought of... do you hear something?"

Marinette stopped in her tracks and listened.

THOOM. THOOM. THOOM.

Around the corner of the nearest building a giant figure approached. As the goliath moved out of the shadows, Marinette and Adrien happened to recognize him.

"That's Stoneheart," Marinette said. She dodged to the side to avoid the akumatized Ivan, pulling Adrien along with her.

Stoneheart stomped past Marinette and Adrien, who dashed across the street to the next block.

"Horus, give me wings!" a voice cried from a nearby building. A moment later, Pharaoh flew out a window.

"The akumas are spreading faster than I expected. Hawk Moth isn't any wasting time," Adrien muttered.

"Let's go," Marinette pointed ahead. "My parents' bakery is just a block away."

"Yeah, we should probably keep moving," Adrien agreed.

Marinette and Adrien started running toward the bakery. As they reached the door, the duo spotted Stormy Weather flying over the school across the street.

"Come on, Marinette," Adrien insisted. "Let's get inside before a blizzard hits us, or worse."

Marinette nodded, pushing Adrien aside to open the bakery door.

…

The first thing Marinette noticed was that her parents were still themselves.

Then Marinette spotted the two akumas fluttering toward the terrified Tom Dupain and Sabine Chang.

"Mom! Dad!" Marinette cried out. Tom and Sabine looked up at their daughter, fear clear in their eyes just as the akumas struck.

One akuma landed on Tom's chest, the other on Sabine's. As the evil butterflies settled themselves over their victim's hearts, they slowly phased into Tom and Sabine's bodies.

"Well, that's new," murmured Adrien.

Marinette watched in horror as Tom and Sabine stood there, fully akumatized with cruel expressions upon their faces and holding hands. In their free hands they grasped humongous baguettes.

"You two are a bad batch," Tom and Sabine said simultaneously. "So says… Deux Pain!"

"I don't know," Adrien smirked. "We still seem pretty fresh to me."

Roaring, Tom and Sabine chased Marinette and Adrien out of the bakery door. Fortunately, the two villains forgot to let go of each other's hands.

As Marinette and Adrien ran off to find a new hideout, Deux Pain struggled to unjam themselves from the doorway they were wedged in.

…

Half an hour later, Marinette and Adrien found themselves sitting along the wall of a Métro station. Nobody else was there. No trains drove through the station.

"This place is like something out of a zombie movie," Marinette groaned.

"Yeah," Adrien agreed.

Silence hung in the stale air. Then Marinette and Adrien said simultaneously "I've never liked zombie movies." They glanced at each other, then looked away and blushed.

The two were silent for a few more minutes.

Adrien finally broke the silence. "What did you do with my mother's barrette?"

"I put it in my pocket," Marinette pulled it out.

Adrien snatched the barrette from Marinette's hand. "Your pocket? Don't you think that's a little risky?" he snapped.

Marinette stared at Adrien, a little startled by his outburst. Then she saw just how carefully Adrien was holding the Peacock Miraculous.

"You really miss her, don't you?" Marinette asked.

Adrien sighed. "I don't even know if my mother is the one I actually miss." Seeing Marinette's confused expression, he explained. "First I find out my father is a supervillain, then I learn that my mother also owned a Miraculous. Let's face it, what do I really know about my parents? Who knows, my mother could have been a villain too!"

"She could also have been a superhero," Marinette reminded him. "Anyway, if you're so worried about your parent's roles with their Miraculous', then why didn't you show it in front of Hawk Moth? Why are you so quick to crack jokes?"

Adrien looked away. Marinette felt a rush of shame.

"I'm sorry, Adrien. I don't know what came over me."

"No, Marinette, don't be," Adrien said firmly. "It used to be that I was just relieving stress by cracking jokes when fighting villains. But after learning that my father is the worst of them all, I realized something.

"If I don't stop making jokes… then I'll get really scared." Adrien looked up at Marinette.

Marinette stared back at Adrien. Silence hung once again.

"Let's get the Peacock Miraculous to a safer place," Marinette eventually said. She dug through her backpack until she excavated the plastic bag gifted to her by Master Fu. Had that really only happened a few hours ago?

Adrien looked at the bag and did a double take. "Isn't that from one of my father's stores?"

For the first time, Marinette looked at the logo on the plastic bag. Indeed, it said "Gabriel's" on it.

"Did this Master Fu guy give you this as a clue? Or did he not know my father was Hawk Moth?" Adrien pressed. Marinette shrugged in response.

Opening the bag, Marinette pulled out three jewelry boxes. Opening the first, Marinette found a necklace with a pendant that resembled a fox tail.

"That looks like Lila's necklace," Adrien pointed out.

"Lila's necklace is a fake. She stole the Miraculous book before my kwami took it." Marinette closed the box.

The second box was empty. Marinette gently placed the Peacock Miraculous inside and shut the lid.

The third box contained a hair comb with a design of a bee on it. "Well, I'm out of ideas," Marinette sighed as she closed the last box. "I have no clue how to find more Miraculous users."

"But you always know what to do!" Adrien protested. "You're so clever, figuring out how to use your Lucky Charm."

"Every time I use my Lucky Charm, my mask gives me visual clues as how to use it," Marinette argued. "I just connect the dots."

Before Adrien could respond, Jagged Stone's song about Ladybug echoed through the Métro tunnel.

"Hey, that's my ringtone!" Adrien pulled out his smartphone. "I got a Ladyblog update!"

"A Ladyblog update? Now?" Marinette scooted closer to look.

…

"Hey Ladybloggers!" Alya began her emergency vlog post. "I'm hiding in the fountain at Place de Vosges with Chloé Bourgeois, the daughter of Mayor André Bourgeois.

"The villainous Hawk Moth, creator of akumas, has apparently stepped up his game. Instead of releasing one akuma, targeted at a certain civilian, Hawk Moth appears to be akumatizing the entire city of Paris.

"Despite the rapid spreading of akumatized villains old and new, Ladybug and Cat Noir have made no appearances since the attack commenced."

"Where are you, Ladybug?" Chloé whined.

"So far Miss Bourgeois and I have been able to avoid akumatization," Alya continued. "But who knows how long that will last?"

At that moment in the video, two akumas fluttered up behind Alya and Chloé. Neither akuma could touch them- it was like an invisible force field was surrounding Alya and Chloé. The two girls didn't seem to notice the black butterflies.

"If there are any other survivors out there, let us know in the comments below. Stay connected."

…

"Well, Marinette," Adrien said. "Looks like we know where to find new Miraculous users."

Marinette nodded. "Yeah. We're not too far from that park. Write in the comments section that two other survivors are on their way," she instructed.

"On it, my lady," Adrien nodded. After typing a quick message, he hurried out of the Métro tunnel. Marinette followed closely, a bit reluctantly.

On one hand, Alya was destined to be a Miraculous user. On the other hand, so was Chloé.

…

Poking its head around the corner, a bird stared at the retreating backs of Marinette and Adrien.

The pigeon cooed, and flew back to its master.

…

Mr. Pigeon was standing on top floor of the Eiffel Tower when his feathery friend returned.

The pigeon perched on his master's shoulder and cooed.

"Really?" Mr. Pigeon grinned. "We better let Hawk Moth know."

…

"What is it, Mr. Pigeon?" Hawk Moth asked through their telepathic link.

"Good news, Hawk Moth! Rrooo Rolooo! One of my friends spotted Ladybug and Cat Noir, on their way to give out more Miraculous'. I assume you'll want us to intercept them?"

"That's wonderful news, Mr. Pigeon. But remain at your post," Hawk Moth instructed. "Do not interfere with those heroes until I give the order. Understood?"

"Yes sir! Power to the pigeons!"

Hawk Moth disconnected the link. Turning to Volpina and the Assistant, he smirked.

"Everything's going to plan. Prepare for Phase Two."


	8. Chapter 7: More Miraculous

Hmmm. Hawk Moth is letting Marinette and Adrien get away with the other Miraculous'? Curious…

Chapter 7: More Miraculous

Alya couldn't believe she was sharing a hiding spot with Chloé Bourgeois. Out of all the crazy things that had happened so far today, that was the craziest.

Then again, if it had been Chloé who had found the hiding spot, the spoiled brat wouldn't have let Alya hide in the fountain at Place de Vosges. But it was Alya who was hiding in the empty fountain when Chloé found her. And Alya couldn't kick Chloé out of their shared hiding spot, because Chloé would just ignore her and stay.

And it was very unusual for so many people to be akumatized at once.

And it was pretty strange that both Alya and Chloé hadn't been akumatized yet, even as everyone around them was turning into supervillains.

So maybe sharing a hiding spot with Chloé wasn't the weirdest part of the day.

…

Marinette and Adrien jogged up the steps from the Métro station and back onto the streets of Paris. The first thing they saw was Darkblade walking right toward them.

Marinette sucked in her breath, knowing that she and Adrien couldn't run away fast enough without their Miraculous'. She braced herself, only for Darkblade to walk right past, giving no indication that he noticed them.

"What was that all about?" asked Adrien. "I thought for sure Darkblade would turn us into his knights."

"That was odd," Marinette agreed.

The two resumed jogging toward the park.

…

As they hid, Alya tried to ignore Chloé's complaining. "I'm getting a cramp crouching in this fountain, which hasn't been cleaned in who knows how long!"

"Then walk it off, if you want these villains to catch you. Or worse, for an akuma to turn you back into Antibug," Alya hissed.

"Well, I'm going to stand up anyway, even if it's just for a second," Chloé snapped. As the mayor's daughter rose, Alya heard the whooshing sound of a flying supervillain landing nearby. Peeking over the edge, Alya spotted Reflekta standing a few feet away from the fountain.

"Chloé, get down now!" Alya hissed. But it was too late.

Just as Chloé stood up to stretch, Reflekta turned so that she was looking right at Chloé. "Waa!" Chloé exclaimed as she locked eyes with the akumatized Juleka. Loosing her balance, Chloé fell backwards and landed back into the fountain on her bottom.

Alya braced for Reflekta to turn Chloé into an exact duplicate of the akumatized villain. After all, Chloé was the reason that Juleka was originally akumatized. But to Alya's surprise, Reflekta just walked past the fountain, turning neither Chloé nor Alya into duplicates.

"What was that all about?" Chloé snapped, rubbing her tailbone. Alya shrugged.

Suddenly, Alya felt her phone vibrate. Pulling it out, she found a lone comment underneath the latest vlog entry.

LadyLuv13: Survivors on the way. Need 2 talk.

"More survivors?" said Chloé, reading over Alya's shoulder. But Alya wasn't listening.

Peeking over the edge again, Alya spotted Marinette and Adrien running towards the fountain.

…

"There!" Marinette pointed toward the fountain. She had spotted Alya peeking over the edge.

"I see it, Marinette," Adrien confirmed.

Reaching the fountain, Marinette paused to catch her breath and her thoughts. What would she do? What would she say?

"Hey guys," Adrien greeted Alya and Chloé.

"Adriekins!" Chloé squealed.

"Adrien? Marinette?" Alya stood up. "You two are the survivors? What did you need to talk to us about?"

Adrien glanced at Marinette. "Do you think it's safe to talk here?"

Marinette looked around. A few akumatized villains were walking in the vicinity of the fountain, but none were paying attention to anyone around them. "I think we should be all right."

"But what about the akumas?" Chloé cried.

"Chloé's got a point," Alya agreed, shaking her head. "Those nasty butterflies are everywhere. It's a miracle that the four of us haven't been akumatized yet!"

"It's not a miracle," Adrien smiled. "Marinette and I are immune to these akuma attacks. So are you and Chloé."

"However, while Adrien and I are permanently immune, you two will be akumatized once the day is over," Marinette continued.

"But there is something that Marinette and I can give you so that you stay immune," Adrien added. "You just have to trust us."

Alya and Chloé stared at Marinette and Adrien. No one spoke for a minute.

"All right, dish," Alya spoke up, arms akimbo. "What exactly do you two know about all this?"

Marinette took a deep breath. "I don't know if you and Chloé will believe me, but you two need to know.

"I'm Ladybug, and Adrien is Cat Noir."

Silence.

"Okay," Chloé finally said. "I believe that my Adriekins could be Cat Noir, but there is no way that Marinette could be a superhero."

"Chloé, please don't talk about Marinette like that," pleaded Adrien.

"Wait a minute. If you two are Ladybug and Cat Noir, you should be out there stopping all these akumatized villains." Alya insisted.

"All of these villains are why Adrien and I aren't transformed," Marinette explained. "Hawk Moth took our Miraculous'. They amplified his powers, and now he's going to akumatize the whole world. We need help."

"And you two can help," Adrien added. "You're destined to be our teammates!"

"Here," Marinette dug through her backpack until she pulled out the boxes with the Fox and Bee Miraculous'. As she held in her hands, Master Fu's second pearl of wisdom rang through Marinette's head.

"When the time is right, you will know what to do with the remaining three."

Trusting her instincts, Marinette handed the Fox Miraculous to Alya, and the Bee Miraculous to Chloé.

"Please, open these and put them on," Marinette instructed.

Alya opened her box first. "Whoa!" she cried as light burst out of the box. Once the light faded, a fox-like kwami appeared.

"Hey baby," the kwami nudged Alya's shoulder with its tiny elbow. "Alya, right? The name's Trixx. Want to transform and kick some akumatized butt?"

"Oo, you're feisty," Alya grinned. "I like you!"

After watching Alya start talking to Trixx, Chloé gingerly opened her box.

"EEEEEEE!" Chloé screamed as the light faded and a bee-like kwami remained. "You are so cute!"

"Why, thank you, Miss Chloé," the kwami smiled. "My name is Buzii. How are you today?"

"Oh, you're so polite," Chloé smiled at Buzii. "I think we'll get along just fine."

Alya placed the Fox Miraculous necklace over her neck. Meanwhile, Chloe tucked the Bee Miraculous comb into the hair on the upper right side of her head.

"To keep your immunity to Hawk Moth's akumas, all you guys got to do is transform," Trixx addressed both Alya and Chloé.

"In order to transform, just say your kwami's name and "transform me!"" Buzii added.

Alya and Chloé nodded to their kwamis.

"Trixx!" Alya cried.

"Buzii!" Chloé cried.

"Transform me!"

In a flash, Alya and Chloé transformed.

The tips of Alya's hair turned white. She wore an orange mask with a white bottom half and a black mark above each eye. Two orange fox ears with white insides, black tips, and black edges appeared on the top of her head. The top layer of her suit, akin to an overcoat, was orange with a white front, a black swan-necked collar, and black arms and gloves up to the middle of her upper arms. The overcoat also had a long fox tail-like coattail that ends a bit below her knees at a sharp white tip. The bottom layer of her suit was orange with a white center on the front of the body and black legs starting at a point in the middle of her upper legs. Her soles were orange with black fox paw print markings. A flute was attached diagonally on her back.

Chloé wore a yellow and black mask. Her ponytail was tied with a black hairband, with two black antennae-like ribbons sticking out from the hairband. She wore a yellow costume with three black stripes on her torso and two on the upper thigh. Her upper rib cage was covered by black. The sleeves of the costume were also black, which end in gloves with yellow fingers. Her lower legs were black, starting directly below the second stripe on her thigh. She carried a trompo with a pull string in one hand.

"This is so cool!" Alya cried.

"I'm just like Ladybug! I am awesome," Chloé bragged.

Adrien stepped forward. "So, what shall our new teammates names' be?"

Alya looked blank. "Can I think about it? All I know right now is that I don't want to be called Volpina."

"I know what my name is!" declared Chloé. "Call me Queen Bee!"

"Seems appropriate enough," Marinette muttered.

"I know, right!" grinned Chloé.

Alya pulled her flute out from behind her back. "So what powers do we have?"

Marinette and Adrien blinked.

"You don't know, do you?" Alya said.

Adrien shrugged. "We didn't get a chance to ask."

"Well, that's just great," Chloé snapped. "What now?"

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance," a voice came from the other side of the fountain.

Bracing themselves, the group of four watched as a woman walked over.

The first thing Marinette noticed about this woman was that she wasn't akumatized. She had blond hair in a ponytail that hung over her left shoulder. This mystery lady wore a light pink blazer over a black silk shirt. Her business pants matched her blazer, and she wore black high heels.

She looks familiar, Marinette thought. Have I seen her swinging around Paris as Ladybug? No, I saw her in a picture… a picture of when this woman was much younger… a picture on Adrien's computer…

"Mother?" Adrien gasped.

"Mommy?" Chloé cried.


	9. Chapter 8: Enter Tara Agreste

Wait, what? Why did Chloé refer to Adrien's mother as her own? Author's Note: Tara's transformation outfit was inspired by loveHinaSasu on DeviantArt. She drew several pictures of Mrs. Agreste in a peacock themed costume. Go check them out!

Chapter 8: Enter Tara Agreste

"Uh, Chloé? Why did you refer to my mother as your own?" asked Adrien.

"What are you talking about, Adrien?" Chloé admonished. "This is my mother, not yours. She used to pick you up from your mansion and bring you over to Le Grand Paris for our playdates. I've never met your mother."

"That was my mother dropping me off!" Adrien protested.

"I'm positive you're Adrien's mother, Mrs. Agreste," Marinette spoke up. "He has your picture as his computer background.

"Besides, how can Adrien and Chloé both think you're their mother?" Alya asked. "One of them has to be wrong."

"First of all, please call me Tara," Tara Agreste smiled at Marinette. Then she sighed, "And in a way, they're both right.

"Adrien and Chloé are both my children. They're twins."

"WHAT?" Chloé screamed.

"How can that be?" Adrien asked. "I knew we had the same birthday, but we have different fathers!"

"Wait, you two have the same birthday?" asked Marinette. Adrien and Chloé nodded. "Chloé, I thought your birthday was in the summer."

"So does everyone else in our class," Alya added, arms folded. "Knowing you, we thought you would brag about your birthday. We figured a select few of use would get invited, and the rest would be told how awesome the parties were, if your birthday was during the school year."

"What? No, my daddy always held lavish parties for me where he was my only guest," Chloé explained. "Everybody loves me, but I only had two close friends growing up. Sabrina was usually catching up on my homework during the party, and Adrien's father kept him at the mansion on our birthday."

"Besides, I'm not proud of what I did, keeping Adrien and Chloé apart," Tara added. "It took a lot of lies and secrets to get to this point."

At the word "secrets," Marinette started rummaging through her bag. "Oh, by the way," Marinette pulled out the third jewelry box. "I think this might be yours."

Tara took the box containing her Miraculous eagerly. "You found it? Thank you!"

"How did you get separated from your barrette anyway?" Marinette asked Tara. "Adrien said you wore it everywhere."

"I forgot to put it back on after a photo shoot," Tara explained, tracing the pattern on the box's lid. Seeing Marinette's confusion, she added, "Gabriel used to make me take off the barrette if it, quote-unquote, "clashed" with the outfit."

Adrien shrugged. "I didn't think to mention that part," he said as Marinette glanced questionably at him. "Growing up around models, it just seemed obvious."

Opening the box, Tara gasped in delight as a familiar glow came out of the box. "Dusuu! It's good to see you again," Tara said to the kwami that emerged.

Dusuu looked up at Tara, and burst into tears. Tara reached out and gently hugged the sobbing kwami.

"It's. Nice. To. See. You. Too!" Dusuu hiccupped.

Tara giggled. "It's time to get back to work.

"Dusuu! Transform me!"

The transformation was instantaneous. Tara wore a pair of peacock-blue leggings. Her top looked like a peacock-blue slim-fitted jacket, with green and yellow feathers covering the swan-necked collar and waistline. Teal gloves covered her hands, and she had knee-length royal-blue boots over the leggings. She wore a mask that looks just like her Miraculous, and on her back hung a large hand fan in the same design.

Tara smiled down at her outfit. "Finally, Argus is back!"

"Argus is your superhero name?" Adrien asked. Tara nodded. "What's it mean?"

"It's a long story," Tara said sheepishly. "And I don't have time to tell it. I have two get you four to the safe house as soon as possible. Gabriel probably has spies everywhere."

"Um, why do we need to worry about Mr. Agreste?" asked Chloé.

Marinette sucked in her breath as Adrien looked down. "Chloé, Alya," she said softly. "Mr. Agreste is Hawk Moth."

"Are you kidding me?" cried Chloé.

"Adrien, I'm so sorry," Alya told the former Cat Noir.

"Anyway, we have to go quickly. Alya, your flute acts like Cat Noir's stick when it comes to transportation. Adrien can climb hold on to your back and ride with you because he's used to the motion," Tara instructed. "Chloé, your trompo acts like Ladybug's yoyo. Marinette can ride with you for the same reason. I'll lead the way."

"How will you travel?" Alya asked, nodding at Tara's fan.

Tara grinned. "Like this."

Grabbing her fan in one hand, Tara threw it in the same motion as one throws a Frisbee. But instead of letting go, Tara held on and let the fan carry her through the air until she landed on the roof of a building some yards away.

"Guess it's our turn," Alya let Adrien grab her around the waist before she extended her flute. The two pole-vaulted, landed nimbly on the same building as Tara.

"Look, Chloé," Marinette waited until the bee-themed girl looked at her before continuing. "I know neither of us wants to travel with the other, but right now, there aren't a lot of options."

Chloé rolled her eyes. "Just hold on, maybe-Ladybug."

Marinette sighed, and held on tight.

…

Swinging through Paris on a magic trompo, Marinette soon found out, wasn't the same as traveling by magic yoyo. Because a trompo is a type of top, Chloé and Marinette were forced to twirl in the air more often than Ladybug would have on her own. And it didn't help that Chloé kept doing extra flips. Whether it was to show off or shake her passenger off, Chloé seemed to be insisting on doing more stunts than necessary.

Luckily, the flight wasn't too long. Soon enough, Chloé and Marinette landed in front of a small nondescript building, next to the other four members of the group.

Looking up in surprise, Marinette said. "Hey, I know this place. It's where I met Master Fu!"

"Master who?" Chloé asked.

"Apparently, he gave Marinette Alya's and your Miraculous' to give to you," Adrien explained.

"Master Fu is the Great Guardian. He knows more about the Miraculous' than any man alive," Tara told the four teenagers as she opened the door and walked in. Marinette, Adrien, Chloé, and Alya followed.

Tara knocked on the same door that Marinette had knocked on not to long ago. "Come in," Master Fu's voice called out.

Tara opened the door to find Master Fu meditating on the floor. "Argus, Ladybug, Cat Noir, Queen Bee, and a vixen heroine with no name," he said, opening his eyes. "It's good to see you all made it here, safe and sound."

Tara walked up to the elderly Chinese man and bowed. "Master Fu, we…"

"Please, Tara," Master Fu interrupted. "You may be my assistant, but it's the end of the world. You may call me by the title you've wanted to refer to me with since the day we met."

Tears welled up in her eyes as Tara gave Master Fu an enormous hug. "Oh, thank you, Papa!"


	10. Chapter 9: Explanations

Man, I cannot stop with the twist-ending cliffhangers, can I? Author's Note: Just in case you readers are curious about Mrs. Agreste's superhero name, here's the backstory. Argus was the name of a monster from Greek mythology that had one hundred eyes, placed all around his body. Argus was in the employ of Hera, the queen of the gods. When Argus was killed (because of a long story involving Zeus, Hermes, and a beautiful girl-turned-cow), Hera honored her dead employee by placing his hundred eyes on the feathers of her sacred bird. That bird was the peacock. Anyway, I thought that the monster's name would be a good one for a peacock-themed heroine, despite the fact that the monster was male. But then again, so are peacocks.

Chapter 9: Explanations

"So, Master Fu… you're our grandfather?" Adrien asked, gesturing between Chloé and himself.

The little Chinese man nodded. He sat on the floor with his legs tucked underneath him. Tara sat next to her father in the same position. Marinette, Adrien, Alya and Chloé mimicked the position as they sipped some tea. Alya, Chloé and Tara had released their transformations, and their kwamis were drinking tea from a miniature tea set.

"Technically, Master Fu is my adopted father," Tara spoke up. "I've never met my birth parents. I've been Master Fu's daughter as long as I can remember. That's good enough for me."

Alya frowned. "But he never allowed you to call him "Papa" until today. Why is that?"

"And why was I not told that Adrien was my twin until today?" Chloé demanded.

"How did Hawk Moth receive his Miraculous?" Adrien asked.

"And how are we going to defeat Hawk Moth without the Ladybug Miraculous?" Marinette pointed out.

Master Fu held up a hand. "All excellent questions. But please, be patient. I'll explain everything."

The four high schoolers sipped their tea as Master Fu began the story that would answer all their questions.

…

"Everyone is born with the potential to wield a Miraculous," Master Fu revealed. "Some are more worthy for such power than others, but everyone in this world can be connected to one Miraculous.

"It is the job of the Great Guardian to determine who is the most worthy to wield their potential Miraculous. A job that has been in my family for generations. My mother was the previous Great Guardian."

Master Fu took a deep breath. "My father, on the other hand, married into the family. He was always fascinated with superheroes and the Miraculous', but once I was born, he abandoned my mother.

"This abandonment shook my mother greatly, which engraved in me an instinct to protect her," Master Fu held up his right wrist, displaying the bracelet he was wearing. "That is why I was destined to wield the Turtle Miraculous, which grants the power of protection."

"So that bracelet is a Miraculous?" Marinette asked.

Master Fu nodded. "Every Great Guardian is required to wield a Miraculous. Even if we are not the most worthy candidate, we must wear the Miraculous we are connected to."

"But then, where's your kwami?" Adrien asked.

"I sent Wayzz, my kwami, out to keep an eye on you and Marinette," Master Fu explained. "I also needed an extra pair of eyes to assess the situation while I waited for you to bring back more heroes. Wayzz is resting right now, but he should be ready to help us soon."

Tara laid a hand on Master Fu's shoulder. "Perhaps you should continue your story, Papa."

Master Fu cleared his throat. "Yes, of course.

"My mother was also the previous owner of the Turtle Miraculous. She attempted to protect me like I tried to with her. This led to us having smothering relationship." Master Fu paused for a second. "At least on my end. I'm not quite sure how Mother saw it.

"I vowed never to marry, to never risk going through what my mother went through with my father. I figured that would mean the title of Great Guardian would pass onto one of my cousins after I passed away. But they all ended up dying long before me. In order to carry on the family legacy, I needed to adopt.

"At first, I was only thinking of adopting a child for the family's sake, and nothing more. But when I saw Tara, I knew she was the only child for me." Master Fu sniffed.

"Oh, Papa," Tara squeezed Master Fu's hand softly.

"I love Tara more than anything," Master Fu wept. "I didn't want her to have the same relationship with me that I had with my mother. So I tried to stifle my protective instincts."

"Is that why you never let Tara call you "Papa?"" Marinette asked gently. "Because you thought it would make you want to protect her?"

Master Fu nodded.

Tara patted her father's hand. "I'll finish the story.

"When I was seventeen, Gabriel Agreste came to Tibet to find inspiration for his budding career in fashion design. Master Fu and I were living in a small apartment there at the time.

"Gabriel was hopelessly lost trying to find his way back to his hotel, and didn't speak a word of the local language. He literally ran into me the first time we met! He was staring at a map, and I had just stepped out of a market when Gabriel came crashing into me.

"I had just managed to help him get back to his hotel when Gabriel asked me if I believed in love at first sight. I admitted I wasn't sure, which seemed to unsettle him.

"Gabriel said that he knew love at first sight was possible, as he had felt it for me. He said he would give me everything he could, if I would be his wife." Tara suddenly giggled. "As part of our wedding vows, Gabriel promised he would give the world to me, if he could."

"Anyway, I told Gabriel I would think about it. I didn't want to marry him at that point. I now know that I never truly loved him. Gabriel only cared about me from the outside. He never asked for my opinions, and never wanted to get to know the inner me.

"But when I arrived home that night, all I could think about was how tiny the apartment was, and how my father wouldn't let me address him as such. I knew I didn't want to truly block Master Fu out of my life entirely. However, I suddenly saw Gabriel's marriage proposal as a way to experience a different kind of life.

"So I married Gabriel Agreste, and my father and I moved to Paris. I thought I was happy with Gabriel, even though he insisted I model his designs, which I did not want to do.

"But a few years after our wedding, Gabriel and I were at a fancy get-together when I met André Bourgeois. He had just become the Mayor of Paris, and from the moment our eyes met, I knew I had found true love.

"Of course, I was already married to Gabriel. I… admit that I had an affair with André," Tara confessed. "So when Adrien and Chloé were born, I separated them. I have no idea who their father is, and for a while, I tried to balance two families. When I was with André, Gabriel thought I was visiting Master Fu, who Gabriel thought of as just my elderly father. André knew everything, and respected my decision."

"I always thought you kept going on business trips," said Chloé.

"I never knew what to think," Adrien admitted.

"So about ten years ago, I stopped seeing André," Tara continued. "I had hoped to improve my life with Gabriel. André respected my decision once again, but I couldn't seem to fix my marriage.

"As a last resort, for our twenty-fifth anniversary I convinced Master Fu to grant Gabriel the Moth Miraculous. Normally the candidate for a Miraculous must go through a test before wielding it, so I had to beg for an exception. I also requested the Miraculous book, so that I could properly teach Gabriel about that part of my life.

"However, before I could give the Miraculous and book to him, Gabriel confronted me about my affair. I don't know how he found out, but he went into a furious rage about it," Tara's lower lip started to tremble. "He… he did horrible things. Things that I shouldn't be talking about with you kids.

"But once I got the chance, I fled Paris. And in my haste, I left the Moth and Peacock Miraculous' behind, as well as the Miraculous book. Gabriel found them a few months after I vanished. He became Hawk Moth, and I'm sure you all know the rest."

…

Marinette, Adrien, Alya, and Chloé all sat in silence as the story ended. What more could they have said?


End file.
